The War - Battle for the Pokémon World
by AzulDelta
Summary: The World of Pokémon, a world dominated by miraculous creatures and governed by ones with incredible powers. But what if a simple Alakazam and his Zoroark ally came to overthrow the council of gods? Events unfold as the legends are forced to fight an enemy whose power far surpasses any expectation they might hold. (I a
1. Prologue

Silence. A muffled one, dense like a storm cloud, were all that was head in the dark chamber. The strategically scattered torches around the small hemispheric hall inspired oxygen and breathed vivid flames, offering small portions of comforting yellowish light. Reunited around the elliptic table, the five members of the great council shared looks amongst themselves rhythmically, occasionally shooting quick glances towards the lonely armchair, empty, which was found to the extreme north of the large table. Despite that all the invitations had been anonymous; all five members of the council had already figured out their invitee through his very absence.

The question was: why? And why now? Some of the five members deduced that the motive might be related to the recent massacre on Allearth Forest. Despite generally being the most proactive when it came to humanitarianism, he didn't show the slightest intention of designating search and rescue groups. After inquired about his disinterest, his answer was nothing but a surprise for all: "What is the point in sending search and rescue groups to look for wounded? Whatever is left on those ruins is nothing but petrified remains." Although such lack of compassion is outright shocking, although the council members searched day and night for living proofs that his saying was nothing but apathetic and unfounded nonsense, the reports where trustworthy witnesses that Delta spoke the truth. Nothing had nor could have survived the devastating effect of the Dark Aura and the Oblivion Wing. But of course, none of the five members could afford to rust their public image, refusing to send any kind of help.

Although correct, Delta where the last person someone would ever expect to disregard any possibility of survivors. As a legitimate member of the Alakazam species, he was nothing but a born erudite and an experienced soldier. He had witnessed countless wars and survived all of them. These traits, plus the unparalleled efficiency of his telepathic regional monitoring system, made him owner of a conquered sympathy which, until today, was deemed flawless. But all these known facts only reinforced the mystery behind his inhuman attitude.

As the apprehension increased by the minute, the five presents traded looks with palpable nervousness, having less and less disposition to hide their emotionally unstable states. Also known for having unparalleled intelligence and tactical skills, as well as an impenetrable willpower and a un-fragmentable moral sense, Delta were never late without a good reason. However, when they were about to send messenger Pidgeys, something happened.

Something hammered against the heavy gates of the hall, shredding the iron stride and almost yanking the heavy granite plates out of its brass hinges. Once the room, reasonably insulated, became exposed to the effects of the inclement weather, the chaos spread like a wildfire. The ferocious air currents roared with deafening intensity, trashing violently along the hall. Whatever small object which weren't properly attached to a heavier one was promptly yanked out of its original position and added to the whirlwind like a scattered leaf. However, before anyone could seek cover underneath the large table made of solid oak, a powerful influence flowed through the hall. Powerful enough to leave the entire room absolutely static, the small objects ceased their flight choreography and were left unmoving in midair, under the effects of an insurmountable inertia. All that was heard now were the thundering sounds raining from the clouds above, accompanied by massive electrical discharges that shot to the earth below and leaving smoldering craters in its wake. And, of course, the hammering bangs that came in thousands from the precipitation of freezing water droplets. Caleb, and honored council member and imposing Honchkrow, wasn't at all impressed by the display of the fearsome storm. In fact, he was perfectly aware why the newly arrived even bothered opening the doors.

 **"** **Pure protocol."** Thought him.

And he was right. Two meters ahead of the door, a luminous anomaly made itself known. The purple pulsating sphere didn't waste any time before scattering stunning light bursts though the spacious halls, illuminating every cubic centimeter with blazing ferocity. However, barely five seconds after the anomaly's appearance, another imposing figure emerged from within it as if walking out of a portal. After that, the blinding lights faded out silently. After recomposing themselves, the council made a careful analysis of the newly arrived.

Projecting itself threateningly from its skull, a symmetrical pair of horns coated in the same yellowish tone of its skin were noticeable, slicing smoothly through the heavy air. Descending down the side of its face in both sides, a smaller pair of opposing horns gave continuity to the bigger one's base, forming a pattern. Right under the protruding forehead, two eyes lurked cautiously, but without the slightest shadow of fear. His penetrating steel-like gaze was more than enough to break visual contact with any lesser observer. Both ocular globes were found slight above the small snout, decorated with a mustache of astonishing proportions that was supposedly a symbol of wisdom. The frontal region of his thorax was visible through an open gap in his black robe, which was perfectly contrasted by a golden button. Under those heavy clothes, it was noticeable that his thorax was covered in a natural exoskeleton of a brownish tone, with extended to two shoulder paths of the same material. From inside the carapace, two arms extended from opposing sides. Both were very skinny and armored with two large bracelets of the same exoskeleton, which covered entirely the also skinny forearms that ended in two three-fingered hands with close to useless sharpened nails. In his waist, the cloth hided that the outline of his bone bowl was nearly visible through the thin skin, seemingly absent of any sort of fat or muscle. Extending from its underside, the legs are basically a pair of very thin thighs connected to thick shins liked to large three-toed feet that were also provided with shard nails. Though his fringe appearance would make him seemingly harmless, he did not need his psychic powers to sustain his head and move his body, contrary to the rest of his species. He also seemed to lack the twin spoons that nearly every member of the Alakazam species held in both hands to increase their psychic proficiency, instead letting them hang from a thin iron chain wrapped around his also thin neck.

Entering the door right behind him, another creature with distinct vulpine traces walked briefly until standing by his side. This one had a natural bent over posture, even being gifted with similar vigor to the one by his side, and didn't have a trace of skin that was not coated in dark gray fur. Each of its long and furry arms had indistinct three-clawed hands, the claws being blood-like red and sharp like bone razors. Sprouting from the top of its head, an enormous and blood-red mane dotted with seemingly sharp tufts of jet-black fur with dark grayed tips had its end tied in a ponytail with reverse tones with a bright green cartilage ring and each of his pointed dark gray ears stood on both sides of it. He also had very curved and muscular legs coated in dark gray which ended in a pair of strong three-clawed feed with claws that mimicked the ones on his hands. His sharp snout had two sharp eyes outlined in red resting above it, with two shining blue orbs observing all from inside it. Finally, an eternal cruel smile with very pointed teeth and blood-red edges seemed to give a maniacal and bloodthirsty touch to his overall appearance. Not that Zoroarks were known for squandering sanity.

With a slight hand movement and a brief blue pulse from the Alakazam, the wide-open gates where readily coated in a sapphire blue aura, obeying the telekinetic's mental commands and closing on their own with an audible thud. Once finished with his entrance, he took quick and silent steps around the spectating council members, lastly taking the empty seat at the extreme north. Not caring to be as reserved, the Zoroark gave a ferocious leap, jumping the entirety of the table's length and landing softly and surprisingly silently by the Alakazam's side, before taking a few steps back and resuming a relaxed but not any less attentive posture.

The newly arrived spent a few minutes pondering heavily on his next worlds, like a diplomat who is about to end eons of wars in a single speech, in order to make his intentions clear like the purest diamond. Once done with the brief mental manuscript, he began:

- _Dear council members. How most of you already noticed, I am the anonymous invitee who organized the small meeting. But I believe that some amongst you are still curious about the reason. Let me clarify._

Assuming, however, a somber countenance delineated by bitterness and even some hints of anger, he asked Zoroark, his loyal assistant and body-guard, that he started the reading of a report brought by him. Giving a small step ahead, the Zoroark carefully removed the manuscript from the leather bag wrapped around his shoulder, unrolling it and briefly clearing his throat. The, he started:

 _"_ _10 of November of 1999, 'New Island', Kanto. Confirmed Mewtwo's status as the prompter of the heavy, and until now unseen, class 5 storms that struck along the coasts of Kanto. The effects of the powerful tempest reaped the lives of hundreds of humans presents in cruises along the region, as well as tents of Pokémon. By the coastal region, we received reports of vast residential and commercial complexes who fell victims of such destruction, disappeared humans and dead Pokémon."_

Gasping in shock before the unexpected details of the great storms caused by Mewtwo, a failed military project from the Rocket Organization, the eyes of the council members widened in realization, finally comprehending Delta's intention behind the reading of such tragic reports. After observing intently the reactions of all five present members, he gave a slight nod in Zoroark's general direction, wordlessly signaling for him to continue.

 _"_ _21 of July of 2000, 'Shamouti' Island Complex. The conflict originating of the egoistical and immature actions of the three legendary birds resulted in enormous climatic catastrophes which impacted in the whole Johto region. The large electrical storms, followed by powerful blizzards knocked airplanes from the skies and strikes hundreds of agricultural based societies, generating crisis all along the country and causing direct death of more hundreds of humans and Pokémon by the hands of the inhospitable weather."_

Not bothering to wait for another consent to carry on his reading, Zoroark continued:

 _"_ _6 of April of 2001, 'Greenfield' City, Johto. The unexpected crystal formations buried a great fraction of the nearby fields and forests. Some Pokémon were also found dead in labyrinths of the very same crystal. The heavy impact of the crystalline formations resulted in intense degradation and subsequent destruction of the local environment. Tents of Pokémon had to be reallocated to far away areas and there is reports of a human woman kidnapped by the great Fire Titan, Entei. The legendary Unown council was posteriorly identified as the prompter of the devastation."_

 _"_ _25 of October of 2002, 'Ilex' Forest, Johto. We received reports that the legendary Celebi, the Voice of the Forest, was captured by a man who called himself the Iron-Masked Marauder, whose true name is Vicious. As result, the legendary Suicune, the North Wind, was attacked and severely wounded. The deaths include tents of Pokémon, intense pollution of the local lake and destruction of a large section of the forest. Large masses were reallocated due to destruction of their homes and death of loved ones. Researches suggests that an unidentified boy suffered from bad side effects of a forced time travel without proper preparations."_

 _"_ _20 of January of 2004, 'Altomare' City, Johto. After a successful attempt of stealing the Soul Dew, one of the most valuable jewels of the entire planet, and the kidnapping of the legendary Latios, the responsible utilized the Altomare Defense Mechanism to seal the city and reanimate hundreds of fossils present on the city, which went rampaging afterwards. Once the dust settles, tents of innocents were found slaughtered. Many sub aquatic Pokémon were caught once the water reversed flows and converged into a huge tsunami right afterwards. A large psychic explosion, originated by the twin guardians of Altomare, saved the city and sealed the fate of all the Pokémon within the wave."_

 _"_ _1 of June of 2004, 'Forina' area, Hoenn. During the millennial week of observation of the Millennium Comet, the power of the mythical Jirachi, the Wish Maker, was channeled to form an synthetic and inferior version of Groudon, the Earth Titan. Thirsty for any source of bio energy, the creature devastated entire square kilometers of the region, destroying vegetable and conscious life indiscriminately. The destruction of the local vegetation resulted in massive locomotion by groups of homeless. Many Pokémon had their lives reaped by the monster. Imprisoned inside the creature and resistant to the psychic teleportation of Jirachi, many Dark-types such as Nuzleafs and Shiftrys were destroyed along with the fake Groudon by the Wish Maker's Doom Desire."_

 _"_ _22 of January of 2005, 'LaRousse' City, Hoen. After the unfortunate events involving the hacking of nearly the entire automaton city by the mythical Deoxys, her nano-technological clones forced a city-wide evacuation, damaging both homes and persons due to their low quality artificial intelligence. Afterwards, the force field generated by Deoxys neutralized the city's wind-based source of electricity, besides imprisoning both humans and Pokémon inside. Lastly, many of those who hadn't been evacuated were caught in the crossfire between Deoxys and Rayquaza, the Ski King. The fight damaged many buildings from multiple natures all over the city. Entire masses, of homeless or not, were reallocated by fear, loss of loved ones or destruction of their homes. Due to the strike in the city's work force plus the money spent on repairs sent the small city spiraling down on a monetary crisis."_

 _"_ _27 of September of 2008, 'Alamos' Town, Hoen. The space-time reverberations caused by the clash between Palkia, the Ruler of Space and Dialga, the Ruler of Time, acquired astronomic proportions. The spatial dissolution of the town caught hundreds of unsuspecting residents in their own houses, humans and Pokémon alike. The mythical Darkrai was nearly killed in the process while trying to save the town. "_

However, as he was about to continue, Delta swiftly raised his hand, effectively stopping Zoroark to read any further. Observing the distinct reactions of the council for a few seconds, noticed with an internal smile that the effects were exactly the desired ones. Some expressed chock, others had hints of anger, others showed sadness and many showed two or more of them. Expect for Honchkrow. His Dark-typing made it easier for him both ignore the heavy realities exposed to him as well as mask his true emotions and intentions. Finishing his silent scanning, he proceeded, choosing carefully the next words:

 _-I suppose it's enough for now, Zoroark._

Upon noticing the implied command, Zoroark retreated to his original position, still paying dear attention to all five entities.

- _When the reports started, I imagine that many or all of you had comprehended the true reason behind my invitation. We're not here to a routine report, or a political debate. I have come to make a proposition._

Despite that all of them had understood correctly his intention, none of them could bring themselves to break the unconscious stare all of them were giving him. Finally, he revealed:

- _We are here, because there is a war about to start._

 _A war? Against who? You couldn't be suggesting that we…_

 _-What? This is insanity! We can't deal with this kinda of power!_

 _-You have to be under some attack of Spore, Hypnosis or something of the kind! This proposition is ridiculous and suicide!_

Delta resided immobile, patiently awaiting the torrents of doubts and exclamations to end. Finally, noticing his wordless request for silence, the council brought themselves to stop their rambling. After the silence had gratefully reinstated itself, Delta spoke:

- _Insanity. Ridiculousness. Suicide. Power. These are your arguments. Arguments unfounded, pathetic and based on nothing but emotions and internal doubts. You fear a war against the legendary, because you fear we cannot win. You hesitate in rebel against the indiscriminate and abusive use of power by them because you attach yourselves to the fact that they created and govern us. But I summoned you here because I disagree with these ideas. Let me recapitulate which are the three elements fundamental to win a war: Soldiers, Weapons and Strategy. Up until what I know, we have all three._

Upon this sudden declaration, a big part of the uneasiness expressed by the council quickly became a burning curiosity, but not without hints of sarcasm. Honchkrow, who absolutely no one remember to have ever supported any decision by Delta, spoke almost immediately:

- _We have all three? You're ridiculous Delta. We don't have soldiers. I would love to see you wandering around, desperately asking for Pokémon that are willing to try to overthrow their own creators. We don't have any strategies. We don't have anything but your fallible plans girded with corruption –_ He pronounced this phrase spitting words coated in powerful venom – _and, if we stop to think about it, not even power we have. Or do you think you're going to Psychic gods to death? You must be under some negative status condition, or plainly abandoned your residual traces of sanity. We would never support your nonsense ideas._

Looks of agreements were traded over the elliptic oak table in the center of the room, now darker than ever due to the torches almost running out of fuel. Coming to a decision, the council already had their verdict even before Delta cold propose the voting. Then, they resumed to wait for Delta to propose, so they could reject him. But what came caught all of them off guard.

And humming and intermittent sound echoed through the silent room, a strange sound that gained strength until it revealed itself to be a deep chuckle. But what surprised them the most is that the chuckle was actually coming from Delta. Behind him, Zoroark showed a snout-splitting grin which irradiated amusement, his own way of reflecting the absolute amount of humor both had found in the small speech. After a few seconds to interrupt his chuckling, Delta sketched a small smile while restoring his firm gaze. After clearing his throat, he responded:

- _Well, dear council members. You didn't think I would expose my ideas to you without any base, right? You accuse me of starting a war unprepared, but you don't notice that each aspect of a grandiose plan is already stated and carefully embedded in the main plot. A war is nothing but a game, one which you can win if you have the proper pieces and know how to use them. Finally, I would like to warn you: when I brought the prevision of a war, I didn't bring it as a request, but as a fact._

Opening their ears to digest any information that could express itself on his next words, the eyes in the room widened slightly. Delta continued:

- _I'm not asking the permission of this council to start this war. In fact, it has already started. I came here as a council member and, in a way, a friend, to bring all of you an invite. I ask you: join me! Together, we can make what any of you would ever deem possible._

A silence hovered in the air, while the council shared looks amongst themselves, dubious.

- _But, in case you refuse, I warn you: stay out of my way._

Staring at him with visibly shock, the council frenetically searched for any trace of amusement or insanity in the face of the Alakazam, but found none. He was serious. The five heads of the council proceeded them to consider calmly the proposition, but spending most time to get over the fact that he wasn't joking. Predictably, Honchkrow was the first to speak:

- _If you think that acting like a lunatic would be a good reason for me to join you, you just lost your time. I refuse this alliance!_

And he wasn't the only one. Upon judging this decision as the right one, one by one they expressed their refusal about the idea of a war alliance. Upon the ending of the session, Delta was looking straight down, avoiding visual contact with anyone. Rising from his seat, he walked quickly to the front of the hall's twin gates, keeping his eyes fix on the path the whole way. Shortly after, Zoroark gave a slight jump and followed close behind, finally standing by his side. He waited while Delta pronounced these last words:

- _You have all been warned. I say that again: once the war is over, you will have to fight for whatever you want as much as any other Pokémon, from the richest to the poorest, from the strongest to the weakest._

With that said, he thrust his hand forward in a pushing motion, despite standing more than five meters from the door. Promptly obeying his telekinesis, the doors opened once more. This time however, they didn't stand firmly in their hinges. Being yanked out of them with brutal force, the doors which were about four meters tall where send flying more than ten meters beyond the enormous door frame, landing loudly on a large tree. The small objects, static until then, resumed their fall towards the floor, waiting for the storm to re-initiate their choreography. Then, once more there were allowed the entrance of the raging storm.


	2. Chapter 1 - A shaky alliance

The Great War

Both could be found walking silently towards the most urbanized section of Johto, densely inhabited by humans. Zoroark waited for a bit, before asking:

- _I imagine that now would be a good time to start the first stage of the Revolution project. I suppose we're here to acquire the first piece?_

Without changing his facial expression at all, Delta answered:

- _In fact, Zoroark. We're here seeking for one of the three primary elements of this war, an army._

 _-And we have come to look for the one who will enable us to find our recruiters?_

 _-Correct. To win a hopeless war, it's necessary an impossible army. An army that won't fear, won't quiver, won't back off and won't rebel. The key we have come to acquire will open the path for the next two, who then will open the path to the last three._

After a while more walking undisturbedly, they entered the frontiers of a great city. Known for being of an urban nature, nobody bothered questioning themselves upon seeing an Alakazam and a Zoroark. Especially considering that Zoroark was using illusions to disguise as a middle-aged human, giving the impression that it was just a retired trainer spending time with his Pokémon. Both already located inside the dense residential zone, they ceased their walking and stopped in front of a penitentiary. Despite Zoroark standing without a precise idea of why they were there specifically, Delta was already foreseeing the events unfolding. He commanded calmly:

- _Zoroark, I need you to attack this penitentiary._

This got Zoroark's attention. Delta continued:

 _-It's not necessary to wound any humans, unless you deem absolutely necessary. Unleash the chaos, attract all possible attention away from the maximum-security cells. There is someone I need to talk to._

Comprehending his intentions, Zoroark nodded briefly before undoing his disguise and calmly walking inside the penitentiary. Scratching his claws along the floor in order to announce his presence, he noticed when five police officers stared at him, confused. One of then, a woman, started reaching for the radio attached to her waist, when Zoroark put both hands above his head, thinking happily:

 **"Night Daze."**

His arms were briefly coated in a menacing scarlet aura, right before he slammed both of them in the ground, releasing a powerful scarlet shock wave of Dark-type energy. Caught off guard, four of the officers where struck, while the woman from before dived behind a piece of furniture which barely endured the hit. Instantly she stared screaming on the radio for reinforcements. Two of the four officers were knocked out by the shock wave, the remaining two recomposed themselves with difficulty, already sending out two black and orange mutts. The beats immediately started building fire deep down their throats, getting ready to expel them while Zoroark gathered more Dark-type energy for a Dark Pulse.

Vicious, or The Iron-Masked Marauder, as he called himself prior to his confinement, was sleeping peacefully in his maximum-security cell. Waking up startled to a loud bang and a sudden quaking in the room's structure, he instantly rolled out of the bed and went to spy through the gap armored with tempered glass. Right afterwards, he backed off with a startled yelp as a bright pink glowing blade of energy shot through the gap he was looking through, before starting to trace a triangular trajectory through the door, apparently ignoring all the reinforced steel and releasing a shower of sparkles all the while. The Marauder swallowed hard when the large triangular piece of reinforced steel was swiftly lifted away from the rest of the door and thrown against one of the concrete walls, effectively shattering it in a rain of dust and pebbles. Emerging from the dust cloud, Delta revealed himself to the Marauder. Looking slightly downwards to shoot a glance at the fallen figure, he extended his hands with the palm turned upward and gestured with his fingers. As if hit by a powerful unseen force, the Marauder was instantly shoved upwards and properly rotated so he was back on his feet. Due to the shock however, he still staggered and almost fell, but managed some equilibrium. Once he was done, Delta wasted no time and extended his mind to the Marauder's, creating a one way telepathic link, speaking in English so he could understand:

- _The Illustrious Iron-Masked Marauder. I suppose the subtlety of my entrance may have dazed you, but I need you to focus._

Without offering time for an answer, he plainly grabbed Vicious by the collar of his orange prisoner clothing and dragged him to the center of the hallway. Holding him there, he asked seriously:

- _I don't have much time, neither do you. I will offer you this chance only once: I will get you out of this place, will give you the opportunity of obtaining what you always wanted and I will give you freedom, if you offer me your loyalty for the time being. You have ten seconds to answer me._

Letting go of him, Delta waited while observing the Marauder stagger out of shock and fall on his rear. While still dazed by the suddenness and weirdness of everything happening within the last few minutes, Vicious still managed a rational line of thoughts, which he used to consider the Alakazam's proposal. He barely had any contact with any Alakazam, let alone telepathically, he had no parameters to know whether he could trust him or not. After all, he was a Pokémon! But he heard himself running out of time, in the form of the noise generated by two panting officers shooting out of the stairs with pokeballs in hand. One of them pointed them out for the other, and both released two more mutts, which the Marauder easily identified as an Arcanine. Building fire in their throats simultaneously, they expelled twin stream of concentrated and certainly deadly flames towards the Psychic-type. The approximation of the roaring fire was more than enough for the marauder to make a quick decision. He screamed in panic:

- _Alright! My loyalty, my help, whatever you want but get me out of here!_

Letting lose a smile, Delta said:

- _As you wish._

Extending his right hand forwards with the palm facing the Flamethrowers, he utilized his signature Psychic, stopping both stream's forward momentum and making them coil around an invisible core, creating a huge spinning ball of unstable flames. Reaching out slightly and tapping Vicious in the shoulder, both flashed out of the prison in a Teleport, leaving behind the fireball to destabilize completely and explode. In the following day, the newspapers would surely contain reports of how the explosion could be heard from blocks away.

Reappearing in a clearing, located in a plateau a few kilometers from the penitentiary from where could be seen the rising trail of black smoke, Delta levitated smoothly until his feet touched the floor again. While the Marauder certainly didn't have the reflexes to reappear back on his feet, Delta did the favor of stopping his fall, and rotate him once more so he was standing safely. As the blue glow faded away from his form, Delta waited patiently for good five minutes while Vicious finished processing all the events from the last minutes, finally understanding what exactly he had agreed to.

Taking even less time than Delta had expected, an Bidoof quickly approached without a hint of intimidation. Standing beside them and undoing his illusion, and almost giving the poor Marauder a heart attack in the process, Zoroark revealed his true form and directed a brief nod towards the Alakazam, trading a few glances of understanding with him. Redirecting his attention towards the newly arrived collaborator, Delta noticed through his calm gaze and folded arms that he had already come to terms with the situation. He then proceeded to speak:

- _I believe the tension of our previous situation might have distorted your judgment, perhaps concealing your true will. To be fair with you, I will redo the proposition: I offer you freedom from all your sins and the chance to realize your dream in exchange for two things, your help and your loyalty for a determined period, that starts now and I will announce when it ends. Do you accept? If you don't, I will let you here to wander, to hide from the human police and do whatever you want of your life._

Surprised that he actually had the chance to change his choice, now with a way better condition in case he refused, Vicious decided to spend time to properly think about the proposition. The cells of maximum secured that he was used to live in where plainly uncomfortable, and the fight against the boredom was incredibly unbalanced. Plus, this stranger had offered him the chance to realize his dream. Considering his dream involved a mythical Pokémon, also known as the Voice of the Forest, he was hardly taking this seriously. But if he can play his cards right, perhaps he can make use of these mysterious Pokémon. After all, that vulpine was capable of creating illusions and taking on an entire penitentiary with only his own power, and this Alakazam... well, he had owned Psychic-types before, and the only one who he has ever witnessed to surpass the one before him was Celebi herself! It was definitely worth a shot. Letting loose a grin capable of splitting one's face in a half, he answered:

- _I accept your proposition._

But, after thinking for a few more seconds, he had to ask:

- _But, I wonder: how a just freed outlaw can be of help for you?_

Keeping his rigid expression, Delta answered him:

- _The Dark Balls. I heard and read some very detailed reports about them, and If I'm not mistaken, you're their developer, right? Plus, as your quadrupedal mechanized transport suggests, you're skilled with almost any kind of machinery._

Unable to restrain his curiosity, he asked:

- _But how can a Dark Ball be of utility for a Pokémon?_

Letting his expression darken slightly, Delta answered:

- _Something big, very big is about to start, something bigger than any human could ever understand. But, to give birth to this enormous event, is necessary help from someone, someone legendary. The only problem is that she would never offer this help willingly. There is where your Dark Balls enter._

Starting to comprehend his paper in this enormous scheme, Vicious smiled, asking:

- _And who would be this 'legendary', may I ask?_

Letting out a smile of his own, Delta extended again his hand, turning his palm upward and, on cue, Zoroark created an illusory Pokémon right above it. Taken aback by the shock and surprise, the Marauder stumbled and nearly fell on his rear again, both eyes wide open. He was still staring at a tridimensional, static and extremely realist model of no one but Celebi, The Voice of the Forest.

- _C-Celebi? –_ The Marauder stuttered out.

 _-Yes, Celebi. I imagined that, in case you refused my earlier proposal, revealing Celebi's paper as victim of this kidnapping would pick up your interest. I researched you, Vicious. I know you have searched Celebi for most of your life. I know what you did and lost trying to obtain her. When I offered you to realize your dream, that's what I meant: If you agree to my terms, I guarantee you that Celebi will be yours. Not ours, yours._

Recovering from the initial shock, Vicious was immediately possessed of a devilish pleasure. Approaching again, he asked:

- _When do we start?_


	3. Chapter 2 - Leaves and Parallel Plans

p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Assault automotive stores and other electronic-related establishments was extremely easy with a well-trained squadron of telekinetic, teletransporting and hypnotic Psychic-types, courtesy of the Alakazam that, as he has come to learn, is called Azul Delta. The following week was full of activity, with the aforementioned squadron assaulting and bringing loads of pieces to a secluded place, in the hearth of a mountain, where the Iron-Masked Marauder stablished his workshop. After an entire week of nonstop work, he went to a nearby clearing to encounter Delta and Zoroark. Upon arriving and finding Delta sitting by himself on a log, he approached, which caused Delta to stand up. Vicious frowned for a moment, having the sensation that something was missing and trying to figure out what, until he noticed that Zoroark wasn't there. When he inquired Delta about it, he received a simple answer:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"He excused himself to resolve personal matters. I saw no reason to question him further. But, if the Dark Balls are ready, I also see no reason to require his presence./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Forgetting all about it, the Marauder quickly lifted the piece of clothing to reveal the finished Dark Ball in all its glory, but not seeing the need to tell him about the other two hidden in the poach that normally contains his tools. Those were reserved to the Alakazam and the Zoroark, once he got Celebi under his possession. Under the clothing was a dark purple sphere whose appearance already spoke for its deadly powers. Delta also took notice that the Marauder took time to forge a new mask and put the 'Iron-Masked' back in 'Iron-Masked Marauder'. Wordlessly, Delta taped Vicious's shoulder, making both disappear in a familiar flash of light and making them reappear in a very dense forest in an unspecified part of Johto./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBoth landing smoothly, since the Marauder had long ago got used to teleporting suddenly like that, Delta immediately started walking towards a specific direction at a rather fast pace, with the Marauder quickly following him. After a few minutes walking, Vicious curiosity got the best of him, and he asked:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Well, we both know Celebi isn't someone easy to find. How you pretend to find her?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Delaying the answer for almost twenty seconds, however, both of them ended up reaching a clearing almost completely taken by a lake of unparalleled crystalline waters, a place that haunted the Marauder's memories. When they reached the lake's chores, Delta proceeded to answer:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Simple. I observed Celebi from afar for a while after your shared incident. Since Celebi only stays in times of peace and hardly ever have contact with humans, being submitted to your Dark Ball was certainly a nearly traumatizing experience. Making herself a little more known to humans, she took advantage of the capture attempts to train herself and become far more powerful than she was before, maybe almost as powerful as she became when you captured her./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Slightly intimidated by the thought of an Celebi with that power and not within anyone's control, he made a wary observation:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"But you still didn't answer. How are we going to lure her out so I can capture her?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Sketching a devilish grin, Delta answered:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Also simple. With her new training, time-travelling powers and thirst for revenge, we just have to wait until she discovers we were here and see the magic happens./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Turning slightly paler in realization, the Marauder concluded: Delta was going to use him as a lure! But before he could protest, he turned his gaze to the lake once he noticed an intense luminous anomaly had formed over it. Similar, but not exactly identical to Delta's teleport, he knew exactly what it where and his uneasiness increased further once he realized: it was a time travel! From within the lights, a small creature appeared. About forty centimeters tall, she had a leaf-like green skin tone and two big eyes outlined in thick black markings. Each one of them contained a big and bluish iris with small pupils in the center. From her head sprouted twin antennae with bluish tips. Her pair of long arms contrasted with both her short legs and equally short and rounded torso. Her eyes, which he had already seen glint with happiness, sadness and fear, where now shining with cold fury. He would recognize her in any place, any epoch. She was Celebi./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFeeling betrayed, Vicious spun on his heel to speak to Delta, but noticed with a dreadful sense of mortification that he wasn't there anymore. Startled, he quickly turned back to Celebi when she roared:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Marauder! I can't believe you had the guts to come back here!/em/strongem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" – /emThe telepathy amplifying her words to the point of intimidation. To the point he didn't even notice her skill in telepathy evolved to the point she could easily communicate with humans, a feature that she surely lacked before./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Unfortunately for him, it seemed that she remembered him too. Trembling in fear, he noticed that she started advancing on him. When he was going to turn tail and run, however, a twig which totally wasn't there before made itself known, tripping the Marauder and making him fall flat on his hear. Now crawling backwards, he tried as hard as he could to move faster and faster, to get as far away as possible, but failing miserably as she effortlessly matched his speed. Finally, his blood seemed to freeze as his back hit the unmoving bark of a convenient tree. Celebi floated patiently until she stood about three meters in front of him./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanShe lifted both arms above her head, and mother nature answered accordingly. A large and bright green orb formed between her palms and split, becoming two orbs. They continued to split endlessly until it was a cloud of leaf sized energy balls. Individually, they shifted shapes, becoming leaf-like and started to spin around Celebi to make a deadly looking tornado of very sharp leaves, whose suction power spoke for itself as it kicked tornado like winds into motion in just a few seconds and shaking fruits, leaves and Pokémons out of the nearby trees, as well as crating large waves in the lake behind them. Shielding his face with crossed arms, a gesture which he knew would do very little to increase his survival chances, he closed his eyes to wait for his agonizing death as Celebi screamed:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Leaf Storm!/em/strong/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"The roaring tornado of leaves shot in the Marauder's direction, destroying everything in its path like a humongous drill before tilting slightly upwards to target the Marauder's chest, but the impact never came. After a few uneventful seconds, Vicious reunited the guts to open his eyes, and almost had to bend down and catch his chin afterwards. The roaring storm of leaves was being split down the middle a few centimeters before him, keeping him safe for a barely noticeable margin. Glancing to his left, he noticed that Delta not only was there, but he had both hands directed towards the point where the storm was being split, stopping the attack from reaching him. He also noticed that, while he didn't seem at first to be struggling at all, there was a single droplet of sweat running down his forehead as witness to his great effort, but even then, his expression was unwavering. When the scattered leaves finally stopped scarring the ground on both sides of the Marauder, a surprised Celebi followed his shocked gaze until her own landed on the Alakazam letting his arms drop to his sides. Her surprise quickly became anger, and she roared again:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Protecting him? Well, your lost! Nothing is going to stop me for getting rid of this monster, not even you!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"At this, Delta didn't resist the urge to respond, vocally and in Pokémon language this time:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Getting rid of the monster? From my point of view, attacking a defenseless human, you look more like a monster than he does!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Upon hearing that, Celebi gasped in momentary surprise, and Delta took the opportunity and sent a single phrase to Vicious telepathically:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Now Marauder!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Getting the command straight, the Marauder quickly reached for the shrunken ball in his pocked, letting it grow to normal size and throwing it without thinking twice. Celebi, however had intercepted the command, and quickly faced the Marauder again. When she saw the Dark Ball coming, she said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Not this time!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Her eyes then glowed bright blue as she used Psychic to try and target the ball, but gasped in shock as the ball slipped right through her telekinetic grip like a Dark-type Pokémon would. With the best of her reflexes, she quickly bent her body around the incoming projectile, and as much as it seemed that the ball was going to clip her wing, it missed by a centimeter or so and went soaring. As Celebi was quick to target Vicious again, he instantly started reaching for his back pocket, thinking:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;""This is bad. I will have to reveal another of my three Dark Balls to try and catch her. Then, I will have to make up a story of why I didn't told Delta about making more than one and then there goes my plan of catching him too…"/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"But before the Marauder could do as much as reach behind himself, Celebi got him totally paralyzed in her psychic grip. Bringing him closer, she spoke in a low and threatening tone with her palm extended:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It's over, Marauder!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"He knew that it was. When she clenched her hand, he would be no more. But that made him turn his gaze to the ball that would have saved his life had it hit its target. He noticed it was still soaring. But, as it was about to reach the apex of its trajectory, a thick branch of tree floated right before it. It started spinning, faster and faster and, when the ball got close enough, it used its spinning momentum to make a baseball-like swing, hitting the ball with so much force that it was sent flying back twice as fast as it went up. When the until now unsuspecting Celebi heard the loud thwack of the ball being hit, she turned in the direction of the sound, only to have the Dark Ball slam right between her eyes. Still in daze from the impact, she was converted into an indistinct mass of energy before being absorbed by the open Dark Ball, effectively capturing her. Falling to the floor, the ball didn't even wiggle, emitting a noise that signaled the successful capture and occasionally letting a bolt of purple electricity arch through its surface./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanStill trembling with shock, Vicious slowly walked to the ball and carefully bent over to pick it up, as it would explode any moment. When it didn't, he stared unbelieving at the ball in his hands, the ball that contained the very object of his utmost desire. After the shock had passed, he pumped the ball in the air while letting out a triumphant shout of victory. Panting and looking at his reflection on the lustrous surface of the ball, he thought:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;""Finally! After so many years spent searching, learning and arrested, I finally did it." /span/strongspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"But he quickly noticed that he had been taken by a sudden sensation of emptiness, pointlessness. If he had found what he spent his entire life searching, what was his objective now? But the sensation didn't liger for long, as his mouth contorted in an ambitious grin. strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;""What to do now? Obtain more power, of course! And now that I have Celebi under my power, there's still a certain Alakazam and Zoroark to capture and become invincible. Not even the regional Elite Four, or the Team Rocket best soldiers will be able to stop me from taking control of the entire organization and, afterwards, the entire planet!"/strong/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/strongspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Shortly after he finished his thoughts, Delta approached him, congratulating him for his participation on the capture and completing his dreams, all with a single and meaningful nod. He seemed unaware of the Marauders complementary intentions. Deciding that he had no time to lose, he grabbed the hidden Dark Ball in his pouch and branded it, making the Alakazam's eyes widen in surprise. He exclaimed:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Thank you for getting me Celebi, Delta. But don't worry, I will make sure you two work together regularly! /span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"– He said as he threw the ball./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Due to the Dark Ball's resistance to Psychic powers, Delta could only watch in horror as the ball came flying in a straight line, hitting him square in the chest…/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"…and doing nothing./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"The Marauder kept staring with visible eagerness as the ball hit its target, even if it didn't make him flinch. But, as the seconds passed, he noticed with open surprise that the ball didn't capture him. It did nothing. When he started sputtering incomplete questions that reflected his shock, he noticed that Delta was nearly trembling with barely contained chuckles. Then he realized:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"W-What? You already knew! But h-how…/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"But he was outright interrupted as a third voiced, expressed in the form of a booming and maniacal laughter, made itself known. Out of thin air, Zoroark appeared as if he had been camouflaged this whole time, holding his chest as tears streamed down his face. Barely stuttering out a phrase, he said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Y-your face! Y-you should have seen your face!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"B-but, I threw the ball! It hit, how come it didn't work?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Now completely serious once more, Delta cleared his throat, catching the laughing Zoroark's attention. He said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Zoroark, care to explain?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Alright, alright. /span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"– Zoroark said while trying to recompose himself./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"After calming down a bid, wiping out his tears and catching his breath, he started:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Well, the ball you threw didn't work because it's not a Dark Ball./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-What?!/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As he looked, the ball he threw before rolled before stopping right beside his foot. When he glanced down, the ball faded away right before him. As he instinctively reached behind him to catch the third one, it along with the entire pouch faded away as well. When he looked again at the Zoroark, he had a smug look on his face and a pouch on his left pawn. He said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" -em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It were all an illusion. I did it while you were drooling over Celebi's Pokeball. I suppose you're looking for this?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"When the Marauder thought himself without options, he them remembered that the most powerful Pokémon in the world was currently resting in his left hand! When he was about to send her out, however, a powerful Psychic punch hit him square in the stomach, sending him flying back a few meters before rolling in the dirt and lying flat on his belly, out of breath. Delta then said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Your actions show that you know even less about me than I originally thought, Vicious. As you may don't know, my species can have up to twenty five times the highest human I.Q ever registered. I may not be amongst the wisest of my species, but I certainly was one step ahead of you. It was easy figuring out that you were hiding something, if just for the constant fidgeting you did with the strap of this poach of yours, or for the amount of times you supposedly scratched your back to check on the remaining Dark Balls. Since I had sent Zoroark ahead, so he would reach this place about the same time as we did, I told him to keep hidden while we walked in case we needed surprise reinforcement. It seems his presence came in handy, as getting the balls out of your hands with the aid of his illusions was much cleaner./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As he said that, he paced slowly towards the fallen ball that contained Celebi, eventually bending over and catching it. After examining it carefully, he turned to the rising Marauder and said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I offered you freedom and Celebi if you helped me capture her and kept your loyalty for as long as I requested you to. Since you kept the first half of our deal, so will I. You're free to go, and your past sins are soon to have never existed. But, once I'm done with Celebi, I will return her liberty./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Before the Marauder could say a single word in protest, however, a feminine looking Pokémon appeared out of nowhere, seemingly teleporting to right in front of him, and humming a soft sound while moving her arms in a simple pattern, emitting series of hypnotic waves that clearly bent the air. Once the last of them hit Vicious, he lost any will to get up and faceplanted, victim of a deep sleep. The newly arrived turned to Delta, awaiting further instruction. He provided it:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Good work, Gardevoir. Take and leave him in an isolated area of Unova of your choice, as long as it's away from any human police officer and wild Pokémon./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Nodding briefly, she bent over, resting her palm slightly on the back of the sleeping Marauder, closing her eyes and transporting both in a sudden flash of light. When the light dimmed, there wasn't a trace left at the two. Delta spared a last look to the Voice of the Forest's prison before handing it over to Zoroark, who catches it and awaited. Delta lastly said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Take her as quickly as possible to our hideout. I have some memory erasing to do./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"With that said, he disappeared in a flash of light as well. Zoroark promptly started running. It was going to be a long way back./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"  
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"A few hours later…/span/p  
/div  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Walking rhythmically on the steel bridge that extended itself over the abyssal depths of the subterraneous tower, Delta had a specific destination in mind. One of the big blocks of cells found on the basement of the huge installation. One of the first and fundamental keys, a.k.a Celebi, had already been obtained. Now, he needed the second key to open path to the last three, one that would synchronize the time traveler's will with his own. This key, was a human whom he could freely control. Someone to take the Marauder's spot as the human factor and is capable of handling the Dark Ball and its content./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanEntering undisturbedly through the armored doors of the gigantic cell block, he was pondering about the human he style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSince months ago, as a precaution, he was looking for trainers that fitted in a long list of parameters and could be used as powerful tools. That's why his large chain of telepathic sentinels was operating endlessly since then, and the search for a suitable human was arduous. He needed someone brave, determined, creative, gifted with an effective strategy sense, decent physical qualification, sharp reflexes and a large historical of achievements. However, at the same time, nothing would be more vital to stop the mental control to be easily broken as a fragile and vulnerable mind./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIn the end, the results hammered against the Psychic-type's initial expectations, considering the chosen one had a fraction of the logical age. But what mattered is that he attended every aspect of the parameters list and, now that the time had finally arrived, he had sent the same Gardevoir from before to escort him. After all, she was his most trustable operative when it came to human relations. Finally arriving in the room, where the chosen one slept peacefully under a simple Hypnosis, he noticed that there were two Psychic-types besides him. The Gardevoir, sitting in one of the steel benches and waiting, and a Jynx, operating the controls of the cell. To the first one, he asked:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It's a pleasure to see you. Are you ready for the procedure? It's important that you keep in mind that this Hypnosis is far more complex than simply induce sleep on the target. We need an unhesitating but natural obedience./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Yes, Delta. I comprehend plainly the details of this procedure. I have been waiting for the last five minutes so we could start the Hypnosis./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Great. In this case, we can start./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Getting the hidden command, the Jynx nervously pressed a button, and the large cell door creaked to life. The heavy hydraulic door with a lonely bullet-proof window opened slowly, sliding on the rusty rails until enabling completely the passage of both Psychic-types./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe human was very young. To human standards, wouldn't even be considered in condition of coordinating fully evolved Pokémon in situations of great importance as it was about to happen. But the experience of the mobilized analysts was more than enough to indicate that the human was in fact in condition of realizing what would be requested of him. To Delta, their opinion was far more trustworthy than human common sense of all things. The boy in question had about 16 years. He had started his career as a trainer with 10. Clear skin, black well-combed hair, light brown eyes and about 1,65 meters of height. Despite still being very young, he had an undeniable sense of strategy, and a deep connection with each of the Pokémon under his property./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDelta, personally, always approved of the training of Pokémon by humans. This kind of learning and mutual relationship had already been confirmed to be capable of elevating an Pokémon's power to levels that none of them could reach on their own. Of course, there are always exceptions. Delta, for example, had already challenged and defeated Dark, Bug, Ghost and Psychic themed gyms all around the globe, despite not having a trainer. He still kept an case with all the badges he conquered. Another very common sense is that, without fighting, one couldn't obtain strength. It is a shame that humans underestimated the Pokémon's intelligence to the point of considering them little more than rational, if not a little less. Many researches on the medical and psychiatric areas could use some Psychic and Fairy-type specialists. But pondering in this matter was a task for another time./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFinally, the Alakazam gave a step ahead, lifting the boy with a slight gesture and making him face Gardevoir. Fortunately, the unconsciousness only made the process easier. Singing a soft and unintelligible melody, far more complex than the Hypnosis she had performed before on the Marauder, Gardevoir started to put her hands together in different position, forming and repeating sequences of complex hand-signs. In a continuous ritual that took almost fifteen minutes straight, the fully programmed psychic waves were expelled in a continuous flow, hitting the human one by one. When the last one hit, the target irradiated a dim glow, indicating that it was done. Now, they only needed to know if it worked./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanPositioning him in a sitting position in one of the cell's benches, Delta snapped his fingers. Upon hearing this, the Jynx from before entered the nervously and a little clumsily in the room, glancing first at the boy and then at Delta for confirmation. When he nodded, she brought one of her hands behind, and it was coated in a bright red aura. Then, she released a doubled power Wake Up Slap across the boy's face, jolting him awake. When the shock faded and he straightened, his irises where transformed in a pair of matte purple discs. Enthusiastic, the Gardevoir asked:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Human, who do you obey?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Processing the question, he answered normally:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I obey Delta, and whoever he extends his authority to./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Smiling briefly, Delta did a small gesture with his hand, suddenly targeting both the Jynx and the Gardevoir and effectively making them slide almost five meters away from the boy. Opening then the small bag he had brought with him, he carefully grabbed and extended the Dark Ball towards the boy, who observed it with curiosity, trying to recognize it. When he couldn't, he accepted it and took the chance to analyze it more carefully. Finally, he stared at Delta, looking for an explanation, which he was given:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This Dark Ball contains Celebi, the Voice of the Forest. We're about to use her power to perform three time travels. However, is certain that only a human can command an Pokémon by holding the ball. That's why I confer to you the control. It's necessary for you to be attentive and efficient, because all three destinations can yield its dangers. Understood?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"The boy blinked slowly, suddenly forced to digest a ton of new information. But he understood perfectly that they expected him to do something dangerous, something challenging. And he knew something: he loved challenges! Smiling, the boy rose from his seat and did a thumbs-up, answering:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Understood! I won't disappoint you!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;""Looks like it worked after all. I hope this control is strong, because the challenges that come ahead will take his mind to the limits." /span/strongspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Delta thought somberly. Finally, he answered in a low tone:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Great, human. For the time being, which is your name?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-My name is John, sir!/span/em/p  
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
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p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSuddenly jolting awake, the Marauder looked at his surroundings, looking for any threat. When he found none, he supported his back on a nearby three and held his head with both hands, trying to shield it from the remaining headaches. Rising from the ground with the tree as a trustworthy support, he let his vision clear a little so he could take a better look on his surroundings. He soon perceived it was a clearing he was in, apparently in a forest. But not in the Ilex Forest, he noticed. Looks like studying the forest's topography actually came in handy./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSince the trees were too scattered, he judged he couldn't be that far from the forest's limits, so he started walking. Slowly in the beginning, due to his muscles still being sore from the long sleep, but slowly picking up pace until it was a normal walk. After almost ten minutes of walking straight ahead, he noticed he was far from sea level. Crouching near the edge of a cliff, he positioned his right hand over the eyes to reduce a little the light input on his eyes and try to see something, until he saw a city. A familiar city, however. It was the Nacrene city, one of the cities he saw in one of the mechanic themed magazines he used to read. He was in Unova then. Sitting down and stopping to think, he recapitulated the events in his head before being put to sleep, until finally concluded: he needed help, and fast./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;""But from who? I'm three regions away from Johto and any Rocket operation. If I speak to the police, they won't believe me. With who I could talk? Maybe some other legendary… but who? I barely know the three legendary beasts, Suicune, Entei and that other one whose name I forgot. Even if I could find one, I doubt I could recognize one."/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"It was then that an idea brightened the Marauder's mind like a light bulb. While he was in prison, he had firmed a deal with the guards to receive a delivery of magazines weekly to reduce the boredom, plus the daily newspaper. It was that day when the journal had an article about the clash between the Genesects and Mewtwo./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;""That's it! Genesect and Mewtwo! Only a battle between two legendary powers could have caused such destruction like the one in Nova Tork's artificial habitat! If I can talk to them, perhaps they hear what I have to say about Celebi's capture. But, how can I speak to them? If nobody captured them yet, this must mean they're either extremely powerful or extremely hard to find, perhaps even both. What can I do?"/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"After a few minutes thinking as hard as he could, he had another idea. If Mewtwo appeared last time to stop the Genesect invasion, he just needed to simulate a similar threat and lure it out! With a devilish smile and a determined look shining from underneath his iron mask, he found the least steep part of the cliff and started sliding through it, going in the city's direction. He would need mechanical parts, lots of them!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;""Better watch out, Alakazam. I'm going to get both my Celebi and my revenge!" /span/strongspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"He thought darkly./span/p 


	4. Chapter 3 - Of Time-Travels and despair

p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Delta, Zoroark and John stood together on a large platform that elevated itself from the top of the over ground section of the steel-armored hideout, like a humongous plateau capable of serving as landing point to even the just as monstrous Cargo Hovers. Now dubbing as launching pad for the brand-new Time Travel Project. Not as original as you would expect from a creature with about three thousand I.Q, but Delta believed the aesthetics to be overestimated. Once Zoroark finished his little meditation, Delta nodded towards John./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNodding back in confirmation, John plucked the Dark Ball from his belt, throwing it directly upwards. When it opened, Celebi emerged from within the dark depths of the mysterious device, holding a blank expression and fluttering her small wings at unbelievable rates while she kept her position static above the trio./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Rather than her normally vibrant tone of blue, her eyes were tainted in tones of dark magenta, which means that the control of the Dark Ball was currently unwavering. Afterwards, John also plucked his Pokedéx from the other side of his belt, a minicomputer which held information about all Pokémon known by humans from a specific region, but that could always be updated in real time. Extending the Pokedéx in Celebi's direction, the small red device answered properly, scanning the forest fairy as a wide bluish light bean shot from the diminutive projector in the back. The device proceeded then to make a symphony of complex bips who varied in intensity as a soundtrack while it compared the long list of obtained biometrical data with the database. Afterwards, it projected a tridimensional and generic image of the Celebi species, along with a summary of both useful and useless information alike, including the four Pokémon moves this Celebi knew: Energy Ball, Psychic, Leaf Storm and Protect. Reinserting the device back in its place on John's belt, the boy pointed to a wall made out of solid iron, specifically to a crudely drawn target on its surface, catching Celebi's attention. Then, he commanded experimentally:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Celebi, use Energy Ball!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Obeying unhesitatingly, Celebi charged a dense sphere of bioenergy between her palms, throwing it with both speed and precision and generating a large explosion that scattered chips of the target over the entire room. Target who used to be made of solid steel. Despite Steel usually resisting Grass-type moves, Celebi's ludicrous amount of raw power was too much for a plate only a few centimeters thick. Finally, she returned to her floating position next to John. Nodding towards Azul Delta, he indicated the Dark Ball was working perfectly. Finally, Azul Delta shared the date:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"September 1supst/sup, 1998./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Celebi, take us to September 1supst/sup, 1998 – John echoed./span/p  
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"  
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Obeying once more, Celebi flew around the trio for a few seconds, until she started releasing a trail of energy of a light purple tone. Finally, Celebi created a time rift. Extending one of her hands backwards, John grasped it. Delta connected Zoroark and John touching both theirs shoulders as well. Once all were connected and ready to go, Celebi touched the time rift, transporting all of then to the desired date./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
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p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"The first thing they noticed upon arriving to the past, was a intense heat wave and a pungent odor of smoke and carbon dioxide. As Delta successfully predicted, both were indicators that they were literally in the right place at the right time. Looking upwards, the Alakazam saw a falling steel beam accelerating towards the trio. As he was about to lift a shield to meet with the offender, John commanded:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Celebi, Energy ball!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Spinning another dense orb of bioenergy between her small hands, she threw it with the same grace and precision as before, shattering the threat. Finally feeling the adrenalin draining from his system, John turned to Delta's unwavering gaze, asking:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Azul Delta, what is happening? What place is this? What time is this? What we even came to do here?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Rather than answering any of those questions, said Pokémon pointedly stared at the nearest wall of flames, amongst the many that flooded the installation. His eyes narrowed slightly when a furious roar shook the building, adding even more chaos to the flame's deadly dance choreography with the waves of Pressure that followed. Briefly cutting through the flames that Azul Delta gazed at, a man, a scientist if his appearance was anything to go by, came into view. His lab coat was covered in holes with burnt edges. His left leg was far from uninjured, and it only became more apparent as he limped desperately away from something, or someone. As he did so looking backwards, failing to notice the four static figures ahead of him, he nearly stumbled into them until Azul Delta stepped ahead and gripped his arm, putting him to a stop. The scientist then proceeded to yell at the top of his smoke-clogged lungs:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Release me you cursed Pokémon! Don't you see I am trying to get away?! Release me, release me at once and run! That thing is going to destroy all of us!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As if on cue, the aforementioned 'thing' emerged from the flames, enraged. A Mewtwo. Letting loose another scream of untamed fury, he opened his arms wide, as seven star-shaped projectiles shot forwards, leaving behind a small translucent yellow shockwave. The Swift soared towards them. Automatically, John glanced at Delta, waiting for instructions, but was thoroughly surprised when said Pokémon simply gestured towards the incoming attack with one of his hands. No Psychic attack of shield was weaved from it, it was simply a gesture allowing John to deal with the situation by himself. Prove himself to his master! His smile widened as he focused back on the fight, bellowing the commands over the groans from the metal structure and the roaring fire:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Celebi, use Protect!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Muttering the last syllable of her name as she did so, Celebi brought up an impenetrable shield of bright green energy, staring unblinkingly as the Swift hammered against the forcefield, each individual projectile making the air vibrate as it exploded./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Now, Energy ball!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Bringing forth the sphere for the third time, Celebi swapped raw power and energy efficiency for speed as she almost instantly threw the glowing green orb towards Mewtwo, nailing him in the stomach region and sending him sliding several meters on his feet. His enraged stare turned briefly to unmasked surprise at how much power such small creature could contain, before devolving back into overflowing anger. Letting out another roar for good measure, he lifted both arms by his sides, commanding several car-sized debris made of stone and steel alike to float around him, before he thrusted both hands forwards. On cue, the debris accelerated in Celebi's direction, leaving trails of the smoke caught in their trajectory because of their speed. John reacted:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Shred this attack with Leaf Storm!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Doing as she was told, Celebi quick spun on her axis, generating hundreds of small leaf-like energy projectiles, making them orbit her in tune with her rotation before motioning forwards, sending a tornado-like flurry of leaves to clash with the moving debris. The Leaf Storm met with the rain of steel and stone, grinding them into nothingness and hitting Mewtwo undeterred, sending him flying into the floor and creating a huge crater. Dashing out of the dust cloud the impact made, Mewtwo rose to almost ten meters above the ground before standing still in the air. His body was briefly coated in a green glow, as the hundreds of small cuts that traced his skin mended themselves and disappeared; he used Recover. Now enraged beyond description, he extended both arms at once to is sides, seemingly reaching for the far away walls of the burning laboratory. Bringing them back towards his body in a strained motion, he created enormous amounts of pressure on said walls, causing the entire building to implode. As John drew in breath, ready to command Celebi to stop the collapse with a Psychic, Azul Delta firmly gripped his shoulder, saying:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Enough./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-But, Celebi is Mythical! With my commands, we can defeat this Pokémon, we can capture it!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-I am sorry, John. But travelling through time is nothing short of an incredible responsibility. As it is yet to have happened, there is a trainer who shall catch this Mewtwo, in the Cerulean Cave. If we capture it now, we will be rewriting history, with unpredictable and possibly undesired outcomes. And, speaking bluntly, even with a powerhouse like Celebi in the hands of a competent trainer like you, the chances of defeating a wild Mewtwo are still scarce. Not to mention, we already have what we came here for./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As he proceeded to reheard these arguments in his head, his look of defiance turned to realization, marred with acceptance. So, it wasn't after this powerful Mewtwo they were after, but the scientist! Scientist who was now struggling in Zoroark's grip, still seemingly unaware of all the damage they dished on top of the unstoppable monster./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"His line of thought, however, didn't last long as he turned to the source of a deafening groan coming from above, the ceiling was collapsing on top of them! Taking a quick decision, John turned to Celebi and said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Celebi, quick! Take us back to the present./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Obeying unhesitatingly, Celebi chanted her name as she started the ritual. Proceeding to buy her time to finish it, Delta shielded a large area around them, not even straining to block the tons of steel and concrete literally raining on them. When the travel was ready, they were consumed by a ball of bright green light, disappearing from the past completely./span/p  
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p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"With all reappearing on the heliport in the ex-Team Rocket quarters, Zoroark pushed the scientist off of him, letting him fall to the floor unceremoniously. Them, Azul Delta raised a hand to prevent the stream of incoherent questions that was soon to follow, afterwards pointing to a waiting Gothitelle that stood a small distance away from them, waiting. Stepping towards the fallen man, she politely helped him up, starting a telepathic conversation with him and proceeding to help him comprehend the situation he was in./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"After she guided him away from there by his arm, Delta communicated another date to John, who was stretching. Celebi was eating a Citrus Berry to restore her energy, and Zoroark was laying on his back, waiting patiently. But once done with their small break, all three of them linked to each other through physical contact once again, ready to travel. John took one last deep breath, before looking at the hovering Celebi dead in the eye and said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Celebi, take us to July 10supth/sup, 1999!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As it was expected, Celebi performed once again the ritual, cutting then off from their current position in space-time and thrusting them into the past, if a not-as-distant one this time./span/p  
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
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p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"The three of them landed in a long hallway made of dark steel, and the first thing they noticed was the familiar scent of smoke, this time accompanied by the sound of an alarm. Simply walking in the direction the desperate scientists were running from was apparently enough to lead them exactly to what they wanted./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"After having to bypass a door, sealed shut due to lockdown measures, they found themselves in a large room were most of the fire branched from. They stopped to observe as yet another Mewtwo used an expanding field of bright blue Psychic energy to shatter the hundreds of metal claws attempting to contain him. Without any need for commands, Celebi raised a Psychic barrier to shield them from the fire, smoke and flying claw pieces. Azul Delta was aware they had less than a few minutes before Mewtwo exploded the entire island at once, so they needed to be objective. Moving in a series of hard, calculated steps, the Alakazam walked up to a specific scientist. His small pair of glasses was shattered and discarded on the floor nearby. His coat was torn and his gray hair was covered in singed spots. He was overlapping a video, supposedly made to be a professional demonstration of their line of work, with a brief explanation of everything that leaded to their demise, as well as the entire laboratory's, fully believing this record to be his last words. Not bothering with calming him down, Delta grabbed him by the back of his collar, literally dragging him through the ash-covered floor all the way to the awaiting three. As he had no time to explain their reasons to disappear from there as fast as possible, Azul Delta briefly overrode Celebi's will to only obey the wielder of the Dark Ball, essentially mind-controlling her to start the time-travelling ritual. It was faster than passing the information through John, even if it took him some considerable effort./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As Celebi was finishing her chant, Mewtwo rose to a few meters above the ground, creating a field of Psychic energy so dense around him that the Alakazam was starting to have a headache, and even Zoroark was starting to shudder. Finally, the energy was released, allowed to flood every inch of the room with overwhelming violence./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"John almost felt his skin burn with the incoming energy right before they vanished out of the blast's way./span/p  
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p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Reappearing back onto the familiar steel platform in their hideout, Azul Delta simply threw the seconds scientist onto the floor. The same Gothitelle, done with reassuring the first one, caught the second one in her arms as she took him to a different room, ready to give him a soothing talk as she ignored his incohesive blabbering./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Ten minutes later…/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Finally done with the preparations for the last travel and, in John's case, taking the time to slow down his heart beat before he had a stroke, the trio plus Celebi were once again reunited on top of the steel platform. Zoroark was absently minded chewing on an Oran berry, not at all bothering to be combat ready. After all, he was very aware that he probably didn't stand the slightest chance against any Mewtwo save for a initial surprise attack. That's why he was content in simply laying back and observing./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Finally, Azul Delta sent the thirds date to John. Noticing his cue, he relayed to Celebi:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Celebi! Take us to July 13supth/sup, 2013!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Repeating the ritual for the third time, Celebi took the small travelling group once again for a ride through time./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As they landed, there was plenty of noticeable differences between this lab and the last two. First being that the letter marking all of the equipment and proudly displayed on the large walls wasn't the usual crimson R, but rather a blue or white P on top of two crossed blades. As Delta knew, this Mewtwo had been created by team Plasma rather than team Rocket. But this time, there wasn't any alarms resounding, nor scientists screaming, nor roaring flames or rising clouds of smoke./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;""Maybe we are early for Mewtwo's revolt. Its better if we take advantage of this while we can. Unlike the two other times, there wasn't a single word left to describe this incident to the posterity." /span/strongspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"They were treading blindly in unknown waters by coming here./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Then, they took to looking for the lab, were Mewtwo was likely to be situated. However, after three fruitless minutes of wandering, Zoroark pointed out:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-It's useless. This place is completely different from the Rocket Labs we are used to, and, without visitors, there are also no signs to indicate directions. Like this we will take forever to find Mewtwo's room./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Azul Delta acknowledged this with a nod. He knew Zoroark was right. But he also knew that pressing the advantage they had now was one of their best chances. They could NOT afford to lose it. As he thought about it, however, a lone scientist came through the automated double doors at the end of the corridor, whistling to himself, and suddenly stopped to stare at the obvious intruder plus his three Pokémon. As he opened his mouth to say anything, however, Azul Delta teleported in from of him, pushing his jaw shut and making him stumble from shock. Then, he pushed his open palm into the scientist's face, slamming his head against the iron walls. After a few seconds of mute twitching, said scientist fell to the floor, unconscious. Shaking his hand slightly, he communicated to the group:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-I searched his mind for this place's mapping as I put him to 'sleep'. Follow me, we better be on our way if we want to arrive on time./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Completely overlooking the fact that he just knocked out a man bigger than him in two seconds flat, both Zoroark and John followed Azul Delta through the door's the man came from, with Celebi trailing behind. Later, the Alakazam could scold himself all he wanted for committing such trivial mistake./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"…/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Finally, as they were one or two rooms away from the room, the lights in the hallway started to blink uncontrollably. John asked:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Please, don't tell me it is another revolting Mewtwo!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Scanning the area around him with his sensitive ears, however, Zoroark said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-No. There are no screams, nor vibrations in the building's structure. The lights blinking like this must mean the energy is being redirected towards another area. – He said, failing to notice John's sigh of relief./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"The tests must have started. /em– Azul Delta said somberly. That meant they were running out of time./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Taking to sprinting now, as opposed to simply fast walking, John couldn't help but ask why they couldn't simply teleport there if Azul Delta knew were it was. In response, he said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Teleporting into a room we don't know is not safe. For all we know, we could disturb a very sensitive procedure, or run directly into a small combat ready battalion of Plasma grunts. Teleporting is better used to go to places we already know, so we know what to expect as we appear there. Or in extreme situations./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Nodding along with the explanation, John almost collided to the locked automated doors right before Azul Delta literally blasted them off of their hinges. The scientists inside all turned to them as they entered the room, some already reaching to call in reinforcements. But that wasn't what the Alakazam was focusing on. He was looking directly at how Mewtwo curled into a ball in a meek attempt to shield herself from the four powerful electrical currents being sent into her, but his extrasensorial perception wasn't fooled. He sent to all minds in range:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"TAKE COVER!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Before anyone could do anything, however, Mewtwo opened her arms in a sudden movement, letting lose a barrage of Psychic energy that overpowered the voltaic arcs and exploded the four drones at once. The power of all four explosions at once release a shockwave, powerful enough to shatter the ballistic glass and create a rain of deadly glass shards./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"The three intruders rose from their ducking position, but they weren't prepared for the sight ahead of them. The head scientist fell on his back, with a large glass shard embedded in his chest./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Without thinking twice, Zoroark dashed towards the scientist. As Mewtwo sent a Aura Sphere to intercept him, Zoroark clawed it off of it's trajectory, his left claw coated in bright blue as he used Aerial Ace. As Mewtwo proceeded to levitate and shoot entire waves of glass shards towards anything that moved, Zoroark rolled under two consecutive waves before tumbling a large iron cabinet to shield him and the fallen scientist from the deadly rain. Thinking fast, he lifted the scientist bridal style, careful not to dislodge the shard that, while piercing his chest, was also stopping most of the blood from pouring out of the wound. Then proceeded to dash back to the small group, trusting Azul Delta and Celebi to cover his back with Psychic barriers. Mewtwo bellowed:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"STOP!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Not that he was about to obey her. But he was admittedly surprised when Azul Delta vanished from his previous spot, teleporting right behind him and lifting a Psychic barrier to stop an Aura Sphere. Unsurprisingly, the powerful impact almost shattered the barrier and sent the Alakazam skidding for a few meters, almost tumbling into the other two as a sweat drop ran atop his forehead. As John examined the scientist's wound, he sighted in relief as he noticed the blood was a dark tone of red. Meaning he didn't have any internal hemorrhage. As Azul Delta turned his head only the slightest bit to catch the man in his peripheral vision, Mewtwo bellowed imposingly in their minds:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"What do you think you are doing with this man?! He created me to be a weapon! He tortured me and attempted to enslave me! He must be destroyed!/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Shaken by her tone of voice, John shrunk in fear, Delta's expression turned into a scowl and Zoroark, despite not being able to hear her telepathy, stood protectively in front of the Alakazam upon noticing his expression, his eyes shining with steely determination. However, stepping forth from behind Zoroark, Azul Delta surprised every conscious being in the room, a total of four. Speaking to Mewtwo directly, he started:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Mewtwo. It looks like I am before nothing short of the world's most powerful Pokémon. /emHe said in a tone coated in flattery./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Not acknowledging the flattery at all, as if he was only stating the obvious, Mewtwo let another enraged proclamation:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-This man! Give him to me. Now! He must pay for what he has done!/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Oh, my dear Mewtwo. Unfortunately, I believe this is not possible in the moment./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Oh, and why would that be? – /span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"She asked, voice dripping with venom./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Azul Delta was only buying time for Celebi to finish her whispered time travelling ritual. A few more seconds would do./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This scientist, my friend, is about to participate in something big. Far bigger than you and I. Far bigger than all of us./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Maybe you haven't understood yet this simple fact: I am not asking. The only reason I am giving you a chance of giving him up willingly is because I have seen how Pokémon can be misguided by human deeds. But you are starting to wear my patience thin. You have five seconds to give me him, or share his fate!/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"She was barely even done speaking when Celebi sung her name one last time, loudly, emitting an intense light. Grinning slightly, Azul Delta stepped backwards in her direction, and Mewtwo realized they were trying to flee! Raising her right hand, she created solid crystal-like constructs of condensed psychic energy for a Psystrike. Throwing a barrage of them towards the retreating Pokémon and the two humans. Azul Delta commanded vocally:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Zoroark! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Not thinking twice, Zoroark jump straight over Azul Delta, landing in front of him and spreading his arms to offer the most protection. Being the Dark-type that he was, the crystals slammed and shattered harmlessly against his fur. But he wasn't cocky by any means, and as soon as the attack was done, he dashed towards Celebi so they could jump forward in time before Mewtwo could switch to a Fighting-type move. However, Mewtwo thought faster, charging and releasing an Aura Sphere before Zoroark could give as much as two steps. Doing the first thing that came to mind, Zoroark slammed his paws into the ground, releasing the most powerful Night Daze he could muster in such a short period. It halted the sphere's advance for a mere second, but it was enough. Zoroark and Azul Delta literally dived towards the field of light Celebi was generation less than a second before it vanished. The Aura Sphere soon followed, but harmlessly penetrated the lingering light and exploded against the wall behind were they used to be. Realizing that her targets successfully got away, Mewtwo destroyed the laboratory's roof in a fit of rage, disappearing into the night afterwards./span/p  
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
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p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"This time, the landing was less than graceful. John landed with a roll, almost falling on his face as he stood up. Zoroark just fell face first, sliding for a bit and remaining still, groaning. Azul Delta halted in the air a few inches for the ground, before adjusting his position so he could stand again./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"But they had more important matters to attend right now. Using his telepathy, he summoned his emergency medical team. A Gallade and a Gardevoir teleported to his location in seconds, and Azul Delta commanded:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Quick! This scientist is dying! Take him to the Blisseys as fast as possible. Call in any and everyone who know Heal Pulse, Wish, Aromatherapy and Heal Bell! Keep. This. Man. Alive! Understood?!/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Bot nodded nervously at his harsh order, and Gallade promptly grabbed the man from his hovering position as Azul Delta was holding him, teleporting to the infirmary. Gardevoir soon followed, teleporting somewhere else to gather the medics./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Turning back to Zoroark and John, it was easy to notice how down they were. That man had almost died, could still die. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They /emalmost died. If that Aura Sphere had hit, who knows what could have happened? They could have been left there, at the mercy of Mewtwo. They could have been scattered through time, and never find each other. They could have been completely fragmented through the thousands of existing time lines, becoming one with time and essentially becoming stuck in a eternal state of limbo. Who knows? The three gazed into the floor, before John broke the uncomfortable silence:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Why did we have to go through this? Why didn't we simply come back in time a few minutes, maybe even a few hours? We wouldn't have to deal with Mewtwo and the scientist wouldn't have been hurt!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Despite the seemingly logical line of thought, Azul Delta almost immediately discarded the option, explaining:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Wouldn't work. Follow this analogy: Time-space between two different points of time is like a wall. When we go from point A, now, to point B, that minute we appeared there, we made a hole in this wall so we could pass through. But, If we were to come back a few minutes more, we would open a hole between point B, that minute, and point C, a few minutes before that. Another hole involving point B would make both walls more fragile, risking their collapse. And is no pleasant result when the walls of time-space collapse./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"John though for a few seconds, before closing his eyes and sighing in acceptance. Delta then continued:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Second: Without the head scientist during Mewtwo's revolt, the other scientists could suspect of problems with their operation, or even the presence of intruders. They could even suspend the operations involving Mewtwo, and that is a risk we couldn't take. Without the experiments, Mewtwo might not have a opportunity to escape. Therefore, she wouldn't have been there top stop the Genesect, and soon an entire colony of Genesect would occupy the destroyed remnants of New Tork. And the history would have been changed for worse./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"John nodded once more. It was too risky. Thousands of lives were at stake. Putting his hands on his knees, John panted as the adrenalin once again vanished from his system, finally allowing him to realize just how tired he was. But, before being done for the night, John asked:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Cool. But now, that we got those scientists, what is the next step?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Azul Delta and Zoroark shared a look briefly, bad mood completely forgotten as they both smiled in anticipation. Turning back to John, he said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"John, go take a bath, switch those clothes and take a rest. Tomorrow, we will have an important announcement./em/span/p  
div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"  
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
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p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"After a good bath and a good night of rest, John entered the installation main hall, were Azul Delta, Zoroark and the three scientists were gathered. Two of the scientists were in foldable metal chairs, where the last one was in a wheelchair, with his chest wrapped in bandages and a small tube connecting from his right arm to a bag of serum hanging above his head. As he approached the small group, the Alakazam started in a loud telepathic tone:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"My dear science lovers. All of you are from different year, different formations, different places. But all of you have one objective in common. You, together with a small team of experienced scientists, created three specimens of the world's most powerful Pokémon, Mewtwo. And that is exactly why I gathered you here today./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Unhesitatingly, one of then raised his hand, and asked:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"What do you want from us? Do your want us to make more of those monsters for you? Why else would you need three Mewtwo creators?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Gazing upwards as he feigned thinking of an answer, the Alakazam:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Oh, but I never said a Mewtwo is what I wanted./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"That/span/emspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" caught the scientist's attentions, who took to look at him with slight widened eyes. He continued:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"The three of you are the greatest living specialists in manipulating the DNA of Mew, the ghost Pokémon. I am aware that during your experiments with Mewtwo, one of the subproducts of attempting to clone Mew was small quantities of a sentient goop, capable of an imperfect version of Mew's Transform. I need you to recreate those, but without the ability to think for themselves. And I need lots of them./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Another scientist raised his hand, asking with arrogance:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-Yes, we are in fact the greatest voices of science to ever exist. Why exactly should we work for a Pokémon of all things?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Allowing his expression to become somber, he answered:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Simple. Bringing you here, I saved all three of you from a terrible destiny at the hands of your own creations. But that is something that can always be rectified. I am aware of the status AND location of all three Mewtwo's you created, and I am sure your 'children' would be very happy to meet their parents after so long./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"That/span/spanspan lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;" was something they wanted to avoid at all costs. They all shared looks of fear, and came to the conclusion that, maybe, it was for their best interest to cooperate with this mysterious Pokémon for the time being. After thinking a little, the scientist in the wheelchair asked frankly:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-How many of those… goop things do you need?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"Immediately, the Alakazam said:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"You may call them Dittos, for now. And thousands. I need an army capable of overthrowing gods! What we are about to do, my friends, is going to revolutionize more than just our region, more than just our planet! The entire universe is going to shake with the weight of our actions./em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"After a small pause to bask in their reactions, he concluded:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Any more questions, gentleman?/em/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"As he was met with three blank stares, he commanded:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB',sans-serif;"-em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"You two, go to work. Provide a list of the necessary materials for the process to start. You, finish recovering. As soon as you can walk again, join the other two in manufacturing the Dittos. This war, is about to start./em/span/p 


End file.
